Chemical fluid injection device

ABSTRACT

The disclosed technology generally relates to medical devices, and more particularly to a chemical fluid injection device. In an aspect, a chemical fluid injection device is configured to recognize whether a needle attached to a needle holder is inserted into a patient by sliding the needle holder and sensing whether the needle holder is adjacent to a needle penetration bole.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/128,323, filed on Sep. 11, 2018, which claims priority to PCTApplication No. PCT/KR2017/002577, filed on Mar. 10, 2017, which claimspriority to Korean Patent Application No. KR 10-2016-0020679, filed onMar. 11, 2016. Each of the above applications is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The disclosed technology generally relates to medical devices, and moreparticularly to a chemical fluid injection device.

Description of the Related Technology

Chemical fluid injection devices such as insulin injection devices areused to inject a chemical fluid into the body of a patient, and suchdevices are used most by ordinary people such as patients themselves,caregivers, and/or medical professionals such as doctors or nurses. Inaddition, since some chemical fluids injected using such chemical fluidinjection devices, e.g., insulin, may be administered repeatedly over anextended period of time, patients suffer from repeated pain because ofrepeated insertion of needles of the chemical fluid injection devices.

Many chemical fluid injection devices include a needle through which achemical fluid is injected into the body, and since the needle has to beinserted into the body of a patient, patients inevitably feel pain. Inaddition, such pain caused by needle insertion may in turn causepatients to fear using the chemical fluid injection devices, andeventually may cause aversion to the chemical fluid injection devices.In addition, the fear of needle insertion may make it difficult forpatients to objectively check whether a needle is sufficiently insertedinto their body. Thus, although a needle is not sufficiently inserted, apatient may try to inject a chemical fluid.

SUMMARY OF CERTAIN INVENTIVE ASPECTS

Embodiments of the present disclosure aim to solve and/or overcome,among other problems, the above-described problems and/or limitations byproviding a chemical fluid injection device configured to reduce painand fear associated with the needle insertion and to enable clearrecognition of needle insertion.

To achieve the above-described objectives among other objectives, in anaspect of the disclosed technology, a chemical fluid injection deviceincludes a casing including a needle penetration hole. The deviceadditionally includes a button exposed outside the casing. The deviceadditionally includes a needle holder located in the casing andconfigured to be coupled to a needle. The needle holder faces the needlepenetration hole and is configured to be driven toward the needlepenetration hole by actuation or pressing of the button. The deviceadditionally includes a sensor located in the casing. The sensor isconfigured to sense whether the needle holder is adjacent to the needlepenetration hole. The device further includes a controller electricallyconnected to the sensor.

The sensor may include: a first sensing member adjacent to the needlepenetration hole; and a second sensing member coupled to the needleholder and facing the first sensing member.

The chemical fluid injection may further include an alarm deviceelectrically connected to the sensor and configured to generate an alarmwhen the needle holder is adjacent to the needle penetration hole.

The controller may include: a first processor configured to controlinjection of a chemical fluid through the needle; and a second processorconfigured to determine, using the sensor, whether the needle holder isadjacent to the needle penetration hole, and to perform injection of thechemical fluid using the first processor when the needle holder isadjacent to the needle penetration hole.

The chemical fluid injection device may further include: a springbetween the button and the needle holder; and a guiding member providedin the casing and configured to support the needle holder.

In another aspect, a chemical fluid injection device includes a casingincluding a base in which a needle penetration hole is formed. Thedevice additionally includes a needle holder located in the casing andconfigured to be coupled to a needle. The needle may or may not beattached to the needle holder, depending on whether the device is beingused or not. The needle holder is configured to be driven toward theneedle penetration hole. The device additionally includes a sensorlocated in the casing and configured to sense whether the needle holderis adjacent to the needle penetration hole. The device additionallyincludes a controller electrically connected to the sensor, wherein theneedle holder may be apart from the base in a first state and may beadjacent to the needle penetration hole in a second state. Thecontroller may be configured to determine whether the needle holder isadjacent to the needle penetration hole in the second state.

The sensor may include: a first sensing member adjacent to the needlepenetration hole; and a second sensing member coupled to the needleholder and facing the first sensing member.

The chemical fluid injection may further include an alarm deviceelectrically connected to the sensor and configured to generate an alarmwhen the needle holder is adjacent to the needle penetration hole in thesecond state.

The controller may include: a first processor configured to controlinjection of a chemical fluid through the needle; and a second processorconfigured to perform injection of the chemical fluid using the firstprocessor when the needle holder is adjacent to the needle penetrationhole in the second state.

The chemical fluid injection device may further include a springconfigured to support the needle holder, wherein the needle holder maybe configured to be driven toward the needle penetration hole byelasticity of the spring when the needle holder is switched from thefirst state to the second state.

The guiding member may include a second support configured to support afirst support in the first state.

The devices according to the disclosed technology provide variousadvantages. As described above, according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure, the needle holder is slid at a time by elasticity of thespring such that the needle attached to the needle holder may bemomentarily inserted into a patient.

Owing to this momentary insertion of the needle, the patient may feelrelatively less pain and may develop relatively less fear of the needle.

Therefore, patients undergoing long-term administration of chemicalfluids may develop less aversion to or fear of the chemical fluidinjection device and may be provided with smooth administration ofchemical fluids, thereby contributing to the treatment and/or health ofthe patients.

Whether the needle sufficiently protrudes and is inserted into a patientis checked by sensing the distance that the needle protrudes from theneedle holder, instead of relying on the sense of the patient, and thus,the chemical fluid may be injected more accurately.

In addition, since the chemical fluid is injected only after the needlesufficiently protrudes, the patient may easily recognize exact timing ofchemical fluid injection, and the chemical fluid may be exactly suppliedto a target part.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a chemical fluid injectiondevice, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the chemical fluidinjection device illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a button, according to anembodiment.

FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the button illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a needle holder, according toan embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the needle holder illustrated in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating a second casing according to anembodiment.

FIG. 8 is partial perspective view illustrating the second casingillustrated in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a sensor and acontroller, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are views illustrating the needle holder and a guidingmember respectively in a first state and a second state.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a needle cover assembly,according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

The disclosed technology may include various embodiments andmodifications, and certain embodiments thereof are illustrated in thedrawings and will be described herein in detail. The effects andfeatures of the present disclosure and the accomplishing methods thereofwill become apparent from the following description of the embodimentstaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, thepresent disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described below,and may be embodied in various modes.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described indetail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the followingdescription, like reference numerals will denote like elements, andredundant descriptions thereof will be omitted.

In the following descriptions of the embodiments, the terms of asingular form may include plural forms unless referred to the contrary.

It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or“comprising” used herein specify the presence of stated features orelements, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or moreother features or elements.

It will be understood that when a film, a region, or an element isreferred to as being “above” or “on” another film, region, or element,it can be directly on the other film, region, or clement, or interveningfilms, regions, or elements may also be present.

The order of processes explained in one embodiment may be changed in amodification of the embodiment or another embodiment. For example, twoconsecutively described processes may be performed substantially at thesame time or performed in an order opposite to the described order.

In the drawings, the sizes of elements may be exaggerated for clarity.In other words, since sizes and thicknesses of elements in the drawingsare arbitrarily illustrated for convenience of explanation, thefollowing embodiments are not limited thereto.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a chemical fluid injectiondevice, according to embodiments.

The chemical fluid injection device 100 according to the embodimentincludes a button 120 exposed on a surface thereof and a needle coverassembly 190 on the other surface thereof.

The button 120 is exposed to a user such that the user may press,actuate and/or rotate the button 120. The needle cover assembly 190 isprovided to protect a needle and may be separated when a user uses thechemical fluid injection device 100.

Various components of the chemical fluid injection device 100 may bespecifically configured as shown in FIG. 2, according to embodiments.

In an embodiment, the chemical fluid injection device 100 may include acasing, and the casing may include a first casing 110, e.g., an uppercasing, and a second casing 150, e.g., a lower casing, coupled to eachother.

The first casing 110 is exposed to a user even after the chemical fluidinjection device 100 is attached to the body of the user, and an opening111 is formed in a portion of the first casing 110. The button 120 maybe inserted through the opening 111 and exposed to the user.

The button 120, a spring 130, a needle holder 140, a pump 160, achemical fluid storage unit 170, a sensor 183, and a controller 180 maybe located between the first casing 110 and the second casing 150,inside the casing.

Although not shown in the drawings, the chemical fluid storage unit 170may include a reservoir configured to store a chemical fluid and apiston configured to eject the chemical fluid. However, the chemicalfluid storage unit 170 is not limited thereto. For example, the chemicalfluid storage unit 170 may include only the reservoir. The chemicalfluid that may be stored may be a liquid containing medicine, e.g.,insulin.

The chemical fluid storage unit 170 may be connected to the pump 160 viaa fluid connection member such as a tube. The pump 160 is configured topump the chemical fluid toward the needle holder 140, and a given amountof the chemical fluid may be pumped within a given pumping duration orperiod. The pump 160 may be electrically connected to a separate powersource (not shown) and to the controller 180 which controls injection ofthe chemical fluid using the pump 160. The pump 160 may be configured tosuction the chemical fluid from the chemical fluid storage unit 170 andto discharge the chemical fluid to the needle holder 140.

The pump 160 may be a suitable kind of pump capable of generatingsuction and discharge force using electricity. For example, any kind ofpump such as a mechanical displacement micro-pump or an electromagneticmotion micro-pump may be used as the pump 160. The mechanical displacemicro-pump may use motions of a fluid or a solid such as a gear ordiaphragm to induce a pressure difference leading to flow of a fluid,and examples of the mechanical displacement micro-pump include adiaphragm displacement pump, a fluid displacement pump, and a rotarypump to name a few. The electromagnetic micro-pump may directly useelectrical or magnetic energy for moving a fluid, and examples of theelectromagnetic micro-pump include an electro hydrodynamic pump (EHD),an electro osmotic pump, a magneto hydrodynamic pump, and an electrowetting pump to name a few.

The pump 160 may be connected to the needle holder 140 through a tube TUand a connector CN. The tube TU connected to the pump 160 may beconnected to the connector CN, and the connector CN may be connected toa needle ND while being supported by the needle holder 140. Therefore,the chemical fluid ejected from the pump 160 may be discharged throughthe needle ND after passing through the tube TU and the connector CN. Tothis end, the needle holder 140 is coupled to the needle ND.

The needle holder 140 faces the button 120, and the spring 130 may belocated between the needle holder 140 and the button 120. The button120, the spring 130, and the needle holder 140 may be aligned along anaxis AX. The axis AX may be parallel to a Z-axis in the drawings.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the shape and/or arrangement of thechemical fluid storage unit 170 and the pump 160 as shown are meant toserve schematic illustrative purposes, and are not intended to limit tothe illustrated shape and/or arrangement.

In addition, the sensor 183 may be located in the casing to sensewhether the needle holder 140 is adjacent or within proximity to aneedle penetration hole formed in the second casing 150. In anembodiment, the sensor 183 may sense whether the needle holder 140 makescontact with a base of the second casing 150 in a second state in whichthe needle protrudes outside a cover.

In some embodiments, the sensor 183 may include more than one member.For example, in the illustrative embodiment, the sensor 183 includes afirst sensing member 183 a adjacent to the needle penetration hole, anda second sensing member 183 b coupled to the needle holder 140. Thefirst sensing member 183 a may be coupled to the second casing 150,e.g., mechanically and/or electrically coupled through a printed circuitboard (PCB), and the first sensing member 183 a and the second sensingmember 183 b may face each other. As, shown in FIG. 2, the first sensingmember 183 a may be formed on a PCB e.g., field-programmable printedcircuit board (FPCB) and may be electrically connected to the controller180 through the FPCB.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are a perspective view and a bottom perspective view,respectively, illustrating the button 120, according to an embodiment.

The button 120 may have an approximately cylindrical shape and may berotatable about the axis AX in a rotation direction R1. A rotationgroove 122 is formed in a Z-axis-direction surface 121 of the button 120and has a shape and dimensions such that a user may easily rotate thebutton 120. For example, a user may easily rotate the button 120 byinserting his/her nail or a coil into the rotation groove 122.

The button 120 may have a cylindrical lateral side 123, and a ringmember OR is fitted, around about an upper end of the cylindricallateral side 123. The ring member OR may be an O-ring, e.g., anelastomeric O-ring, and may prevent leakage of the chemical fluidbetween the button 120 and the opening 111 of the first casing 110. Inaddition, the ring member OR may provide a predetermined amount ofresistance to pressing when a user presses the button 120, and/or mayprevent the button 120 from easily popping up after being pressed.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, coupling openings 127 may be formed in thelateral side 123. At least a pair of coupling openings 127 may beprovided in symmetric portions of the lateral side 123. The couplingopenings 127 may be located approximately in a middle portion of thelateral side 123 in the Z-axis direction, and accordingly coupling bands123 a may be formed on edges of the coupling openings 127. Stoppers(described later) may be coupled to the coupling openings 127, andseparation of the button 120 may be prevented as the stoppers are caughton the coupling bands 123 a. The coupling openings 127 may extend alongan outer circumferential surface of the lateral side 123 in an X-Y planeto allow rotation of the button 120 in the rotation direction R1 in astate in which the button 120 is coupled to the stoppers.

First recesses 128 a may be formed in portions of the lateral side 123adjacent to the coupling openings 127. The first recesses 128 a may belocated on both sides of each of the coupling openings 127 to provide agiven amount of elasticity when the coupling openings 127 are coupled tothe stoppers.

A second recess 128 b may be further formed in the lateral side 123, andwhen the button 120 is coupled to the needle holder 140, the connectorCN may penetrate the lateral side 123 through the second recess 128 b.

As shown in FIG. 4, a first coupling portion 125 may be provided on aninner side of the button 120, for example, a surface of the button 120facing the needle holder 140. The first coupling portion 125 may becoupled to a second coupling portion (described infra including, e.g.,in reference to FIGS. 5 and 5) of the needle holder 140. The firstcoupling portion 125 may include a first coupling protrusion 125 a and asecond coupling protrusion 125 b protruding toward the needle holder 140and facing each other at a distance from each other, and a gap 125 cbetween the first coupling protrusion 125 a and the second couplingprotrusion 125 b. It is not definitely necessary to fixedly couple thefirst coupling portion 125 to the second coupling portion (describedbelow including, e.g., in reference to FIGS. 5 and 6). The firstcoupling portion 125 may be of any type as long as the first couplingportion 125 can engage with the second coupling portion as the button120 is pressed by a user and can transmit rotation force of the button120 to the needle holder 140 when the button 120 is rotated by the user.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are a perspective view and a bottom perspective view,respectively, illustrating the needle holder 140, according to anembodiment.

According to the illustrated embodiment, the needle holder 140 includesa body 141 having an approximately disc shape fur easy rotation in therotation direction R1. The connector CN connected to the pump 160 asdescribed above may be coupled to the body 141.

In addition, the needle ND is coupled to a side of the body 141 oppositeto the button 120, and the needle ND is connected to the connector CNand fluidically communicates with the tube TU. As shown in FIG. 6, whileembodiments are not so limited, the needle ND in the illustratedembodiment is located substantially at the renter of and protruding froma bottom surface 149 of the body 141.

A support wall 145 may stand in the Z-axis direction on a portion of thebody 141 opposite a portion to which the connector CN is coupled. Thesupport wall 145 may be formed in a circumferential direction along anedge of the body 141 to prevent the needle holder 140 from leaning toone side under the influence of tension of the tube TU, and the supportwall 145 may function as a guide allowing the needle holder 140 tolinearly move in an insertion direction K of the needle ND.

A second coupling portion 142 may be provided on a surface of the body141 facing the button 120.

The second coupling portion 142 is configured to couple with the firstcoupling portion 125 (described above with respect to, e.g., FIG. 4),and may include a first coupling protrusion 142 a and a second couplingprotrusion 142 b that protrude toward the button 120 and are spacedapart from each other. The first coupling protrusion 142 a and thesecond coupling protrusion 142 b of the second coupling portion 142 maybe of a suitable type, as long as the first coupling protrusion 142 aand the second coupling protrusion 142 b can engage with the firstcoupling portion 125 as the button 120 is pressed by a user and cantransmit rotational force of the button 120 to the needle holder 140when the button 120 is rotated by the user. For example, when the firstcoupling portion 125 and the second coupling portion 142 are coupled toeach other, the gap 125 c between the first coupling protrusion 125 aand the second coupling protrusion 125 b of the first coupling portion125 may be located between the first coupling protrusion 142 a and thesecond coupling protrusion 142 b of the second coupling portion 142. Inthis manner, the first coupling portion 125 and the second couplingportion 142 may engage with each other.

In addition, the first coupling portion 125 may be inserted into an endof the spring 130 shown in FIG. 2, and the second coupling portion 142may be inserted into the other end of the spring 130, such that thespring 130 may be fixed between the button 120 and the needle holder140. The spring 130 may be coupled between the button 120 and the needleholder 140 in a state in which the spring 130 is compressed to somedegree. However, the location and configuration of the spring 130 is notlimited thereto. For example, the spring 130 may be located between thebutton 120 and the needle holder 140 in a normal state in which thespring 130 is not compressed unless the button 120 is pressed by a user.

The needle holder 140 may include first supports 146 and guidingrecesses 144.

In a first state in which the needle holder 140 is not rotated, thefirst supports 146 may be supported by guiding members 155 which will bedescribed later (refer to FIG. 10) and may thus be spaced apart from thebase 151 of the second casing 150 to some degree. That is, in the firststate, the needle holder 140 may be spaced apart from the base 151 inthe Z-axis direction.

The guiding recesses 144 may be adjacent to the first supports 146. Asshown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the guiding recesses 144 may be next to thefirst supports 146 in the opposite direction of the rotation directionR1. The guiding recesses 144 may be formed by cutting off predeterminedwidths from the body 141 such that the guiding recesses 144 maypenetrate the body 141 in the insertion direction K of the needle ND,for example, in the Z-axis direction in the drawings. In the secondstate in which the needle holder 140 has been rotated, the guidingmembers 155 (described later) may pass through the guiding recesses 144.That is, in the second state, the guiding members 155 are inserted intothe guiding recesses 144, and the needle holder 140 may be slid by thespring 130 in the insertion direction K of the needle ND.

The first supports 146 may include support recesses 146 a formed in aninsertion-direction (K) surface of the body 141 in a recess shape havinga predetermined depth in the Z-axis direction. The support recesses 146a may be connected to the guiding recesses 144, and support stoppers 146h may be between the support recesses 146 a and the guiding recesses144. The support stoppers 146 b may be provided in a protrusion shapeprotruding in a direction opposite the direction in which the supportrecesses 146 a are formed. In the first state, the guiding members 155(described later) are supported in the support recesses 146 a, and whenthe needle holder 140 is switched from the first state to the secondstate, that is, when the needle holder 140 is rotated in the rotationdirection R1, the support stoppers 146 b may provide resistance to therotation to some degree. Therefore, when a user rotates the button 120with a force greater than the resistance, the needle holder 140 isrotated in the rotation direction R1.

Still referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, in an embodiment, the second sensingmember 183 b may be installed on the needle holder 140. The secondsensing member 183 b may be located on an edge of the bottom surface 149of the body 141. The second sensing member 183 b is configured, inconjunction with the first sensing member 183 a (FIG. 2), to sensewhether the needle holder 140 is moved toward the base of the secondcasing 150 and adjacent to the needle penetration hole. The secondsensing member 183 b is provided in such a manner that when the needleholder 140 is adjacent to the needle penetration hole, the secondsensing member 183 b may make contact with the first sensing member 183a (FIG. 2). The second sensing member 183 b may have a protruding shapefor contact with the first sensing member.

The second sensing member 183 b may include a conductive material.However, the second sensing member 183 b is not limited thereto. Thatis, the second sensing member 183 b may be of any type as long as thesecond sensing member 183 b can sense, upon contacting the first sensingmember 183 a connected to the controller, whether the needle holder 140is adjacent to the needle penetration hole. However, embodiments are notso limited. In other embodiments, the second sensing member 183 b doesnot physically or electrically connect to the controller 180 through thefirst sensing member 183 a. For example, the second sensing member 183 bmay be grounded.

FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating the second casing 150 according to anembodiment, and FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view illustrating aportion of the second casing 150.

The second casing 150 configured to be coupled to the first casing 110may include the base 151. The base 151 may be part of the second casing150, or may be separately formed and coupled to a bottom of the secondcasing 150.

The base 151 may include the needle penetration hole 153 approximatelyin a center portion thereof such that the needle may pass through theneedle penetration hole 153.

A guide wall 152 having an approximately cylindrical shape may be formedaround the needle penetration hole 153. The guide wall 152 may protrudefrom the base 151 toward the first casing in the Z-axis direction.

In the X-Y plane of FIG. 7, the outer diameter of the guide wall 152 maybe less than the inner diameter of the lateral side 123 of the button120 (FIGS. 2,3,4). Thus, when the button 120 is pressed, the lateralside 123 of the button 120 may be located outside the guide wall 152,and thus the button 120 may linearly slide along the guide wall 152toward the needle holder 140, that is, in the needle insertion directionK.

As shown in FIG. 8, a cut recess 152 h may be formed in a portion of theguide wall 152 from the base 151 to an end portion opposite the base151. The connector CN of the needle holder 140 may pass through the cutrecess 152 h.

The guiding members 155 may be provided on an inner surface of the guidewall 152. The guiding members 155 may extend in the needle insertiondirection K, for example in the Z-axis direction, and may have a railshape. In the above-described second state, the guiding members 155 areinserted into the guiding recesses 144, and the needle holder 140 mayslide along the guiding members 155 in the insertion direction K.

Second supports 154 may be formed on ends of the guiding members 155,e.g., on ends of the guiding members 155 facing the first casing 110.The second supports 154 may be configured to support the first supports146 (FIG. 5) in the above-described first state. As shown in FIG. 8,each of the second supports 154 may include a first support portion 154a and a a support portion 154 b. The first support portion 154 a and thesecond support portion 154 b of the second supports 154 may be connectedto each other. In the rotation direction R1 of the needle holder, thefirst support portion 154 a may be located downstream, and the secondsupport portion 154 b may be located upstream. In this case, since thefirst support portion 154 a is more adjacent to the button 120 than thesecond support portion 154 b, when the needle holder 140 is rotated inthe rotation direction R1, a predetermined amount of resistance to therotation may be provided. Therefore, when a user rotates the button 120with a three greater than the resistance, the needle holder 140 isrotated in the rotation direction R1.

Stoppers 157 may be formed on an outer surface, of the guide wall 152.The stoppers 157 may be protrusions protruding from the outer surface ofthe guide wall 152 in parallel with an X-axis, and as shown in FIG. 8,the stoppers 157 may extend in X-Y planes along an outer circumferentialsurface of the guide, wall 152.

The stoppers 157 are provided to restrict sliding of the button 120 inthe Z-axis direction. Each of the stoppers 157 may include a firststopper 157 a and a second stopper 157 b. The first and second stoppers157 a and 157 b may be inserted into the coupling openings 127 of thebutton 120 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and since the coupling bands 123 aare caught on the first and second stoppers 157 a and 157 b, the button120 may not be separated in the opposite direction of the insertiondirection K. The first stoppers 157 a are coupled to the couplingopenings 127 before the button 120 is pressed, and the second stoppers157 b are coupled to the coupling openings 127 when the button 120 ispressed.

In an embodiment, the first sensing member 183 a may be furtherinstalled on the second casing 150. The first sensing member 183 a maybe installed on an FPCB, and the FPCB may be coupled to the base of thesecond casing 150. The first sensing member 183 a may be electricallyconnected to the controller 180 through the circuit of the FPCB. In thedrawings, the controller 180 and the first sensing member 183 a areillustrated as being installed on the same FPCB. However, the presentdisclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the controller 180 maybe installed on a circuit board different from the FPCB on which thefirst sensing member 183 a is installed, and may be electricallyconnected to the first sensing member 183 a.

The first sensing member 183 a may be adjacent to the needle penetrationhole 153, and to this end, the first sensing member 183 a may extend toan inner side of the guide wall 152. That is, the first sensing member183 a may extend to the inner side of the guide wall 152 through a cutportion of the guide wall 152 formed to allow the connector CN to passtherethrough and is then located at a position adjacent to the needlepenetration hole 153.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the sensor 183 andthe controller 180 according to an embodiment.

According to the embodiment, the sensor 183 is provided as describedabove to sense whether the needle holder 140 is adjacent to the needlepenetration hole 153 and may be electrically connected to the controller180.

As described above, the controller 180 is electrically connected to thepump to control injection of the chemical fluid through the needle andmay determine, using the sensor 183, whether the needle holder isadjacent to the needle penetration hole 153 (FIG. 7).

According to the illustrated embodiment, the controller 180 may includea first processor 181 and a second processor 182. The first processor181 may control injection of the chemical fluid through the needle bycontrolling the pump. The second processor 182 determines, using thesensor 183, whether the needle holder is adjacent to the needlepenetration hole 153, and upon determining that the needle holder isadjacent to the needle penetration hole, or in sufficient proximitythereto, the second processor 182 controls the first processor 181 toinject, e.g., initiate the injection of, the chemical fluid. Therefore,if the needle holder 140 is not adjacent to the needle penetration hole153, the chemical fluid may not be injected even though a user performsa manipulation to inject the chemical fluid.

As described herein, the needle holder 140 being adjacent to the needlepenetration hole 153 refers to a state or a configuration in which theneedle sufficiently protrudes outward from the second casing 150, andmay include a state or a configuration in which the needle is insertedinto the body of a patient. Therefore, when it is sensed that the needleholder 140 is adjacent to the needle penetration hole 153, the secondprocessor 182 determines that the needle is sufficiently inserted intothe body of a patient and allows injection of the chemical fluid usingthe first processor 181. Therefore, when the needle is not sufficientlyinserted into the body of a patient, injection of the chemical fluiddoes not occur, thereby preventing problems such as leakage of thechemical fluid or failure of chemical fluid injection into a targetposition.

The first and second processors 181 and 182 are not limited to beingseparate elements. For example, the first and second processors 181 and182 may be a processor and/or a storage medium for storing and executinga program, or may be partitioned regions of a processor and/or a storagemedium for executing separate sections of a program.

In another embodiment, the controller 180 may further include an alarmdevice 184.

The alarm device 184 may be electrically connected to the sensor 183 andma), generate an alarm when the needle holder 140 is adjacent to theneedle penetration hole 153. The alarm device 184 may include a lightemitting device capable of emitting light as an alarm. And/or the alarmdevice 184 may include a micro-speaker device capable of generating asound as an alarm. And/or the alarm device 184 may include a displaydevice capable of displaying an alarm screen.

Although FIG. 9 illustrates a configuration in which the alarm device184 is included in the controller 180. However, embodiments are notlimited thereto. For example, the alarm device 184 may be configured asa separate element.

The alarm device 184 may be electrically connected to the firstprocessor 181 and/or the second processor 182 in addition to beingelectrically connected to the sensor 183, and thus a user may beprovided with alarms regarding other operations as well as an alarmregarding the sensing operation of the sensor 183.

The chemical fluid injection device 100 having the above-describedconfiguration may be operated according to an embodiment as follows:when a user presses the button 120 in a state in which the user placesan outer surface of the second casing 150 on a target area, e.g., atarget area of a patient's body, for which the chemical fluid injectiondevice 100 will be used. As described above, the button 120 and theneedle holder 140 are coupled to each other. As the user rotates thebutton 120, the needle holder 140 is slid by the elasticity of thespring 130 in the insertion direction K of the needle ND, and thus, theneedle ND is momentarily inserted into the target area. In this case,when the button 120 is pressed, the spring 130 may be sufficientlycompressed, and thus the needle ND may be momentarily inserted moreeffectively by the elasticity of the spring 130. Owing to this momentaryinsertion of the needle ND, patients may feel minimal pain and fear. Inthis case, whether the needle ND sufficiently protrudes after passingthrough the needle penetration hole 153 may be easily determined bysensing whether the needle holder 140 is adjacent to the needlepenetration hole 153, that is, by sensing whether the needle holder 140is brought into contact with a portion of the second casing 150 aroundthe needle penetration hole 153. Thus, the user may inject the chemicalfluid with an exact timing without loss of the chemical fluid and maynot hesitate to insert the needle because of fear of needle insertion.

In an embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 10A, the needle holder140 is spaced apart from the base 151 of the second casing 150 in thefirst state in which the needle holder 140 is not rotated. In thisstate, the needle is not yet inserted into the body of a patient. In thefirst state, the first supports 146 of the needle holder 140, and thesecond supports 154 of the guiding members 155 may be in contact witheach other and supported by each other. In this case, according to anembodiment, the first supports 146 and the second supports 154 may havemutually engaging structures. Thus, the support recesses 146 a and thesecond-first support portions 154 a may make contact with each other,and the support stoppers 146 b and the second-second support portions154 b may make contact with each other. Therefore, the needle holder 140supported on end portions of the guiding members 155 may be more stablymaintained in the first state.

When, the needle holder 140 is rotated in the rotation direction R1 asthe user presses the button 120, since the support stoppers 146 b andthe second-first support portions 154 a are relatively moved againsteach other, resistance to the rotation of the needle holder 140 may beprovided. If the user rotates the button 120 with a force greater thanthe resistance, and thus rotational force greater than the resistance isapplied to the needle holder 140, the support stoppers 146 b are movedover the second-first support portions 154 a, and thus the guidingmembers 155 are introduced into the guiding recesses 144.

The guiding recesses 144 and the guiding members 155 respectively have afirst width W1 and a second width W2 in the X-axis direction. The firstwidth W1 may be greater than the second width W2 such that the guidingmembers 155 may be smoothly inserted into the guiding recesses 144.

When the needle holder 140 is completely rotated to the second state asthe user rotates the button 120 as described above, as shown in FIG.10B, the needle holder 140 is driven toward the base 151 of the secondcasing 150 as being slid along the guiding members 155 in a state inwhich the guiding members 155 are inserted in the guiding recesses 144,and thus the needle ND is inserted into the body of a patient.

Here, the needle holder is driven toward the base as force ismomentarily exerted by compression of the spring, and thus, the needlecoupled to the needle holder will be momentarily inserted into the bodyof a patient.

In the chemical fluid injection device of the embodiment, the needleholder includes the first supports 146, and the guiding members 155include the second supports 154, to provide resistance to rotation ofthe needle holder and induce a user to apply rotation force greater thanthe resistance to the button. However, this is a non-limiting example ofthe present disclosure. That is, it is not definitely necessary toprovide resistance to rotation of the needle holder, and the scope ofthe present disclosure may include a configuration in which the needleholder is rapidly slid by elasticity of the spring as the needle holderis rotated by a user, and thus the needle is momentarily insertable intothe body of a patient.

In another embodiment, the chemical fluid injection device may furtherinclude the needle cover assembly to protect the needle before theneedle is used by a user.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating the needle cover assembly 190of the embodiment.

The needle cover assembly 190 may include a cover plate 191, and thecover plate 191 may be a flat plate. An end of the cover plate 191 mayfunction as a handle 191 a such that a user may separate the needlecover assembly 190 from the casing using the handle 191 a.

The needle cover assembly 190 may include a needle cover 192, and theneedle cover 192 may be inserted into the needle penetration hole 153provided in the base 151 of the second casing 150. Although not shown inthe drawings, the needle cover 192 may include a closed space, and a tipof the needle may be partially inserted into the closed space. Theclosed space may include a portion including a material allowing air topass therethrough but not allowing liquid to pass therethrough, or theclosed space may include a portion having a variable volume. Thus, whena user performs priming to discharge air from the inside of the needleand/or the inside of the tube before use, the chemical fluid may not bedischarged to the outside.

Embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with referenceto the accompanying drawings for illustrative purposes only, and it willbe understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changesand equivalent other embodiments may be made. Therefore, the scope andspirit of the present disclosure should be defined by the followingclaims.

Embodiments of the present disclosure has various commercialapplications, including various chemical fluid injection devices firinjecting a chemical fluid into the body of a patient, such as insulininjection devices

What is claimed is:
 1. A chemical fluid injection device, comprising: acasing including a needle penetration hole; a button exposed to theoutside of the casing; a needle holder located in the casing andconfigured to be coupled to a needle, the needle holder facing theneedle penetration hole and configured to be driven toward the needlepenetration hole by actuation of the button; a spring arranged betweenthe button and the needle holder; a sensor located in the casing andconfigured to sense whether the needle holder is adjacent to the casing;and a controller electrically connected to the sensor, wherein thesensor is configured to sense whether the needle is penetrated throughthe needle penetration hole after activation of the button.
 2. Thechemical fluid injection device of claim 1, wherein the needle holder isconfigured to be driven toward the needle penetration hole by elasticityof the spring by activation of the button.
 3. The chemical fluidinjection device of claim 1, wherein the needle holder comprises: afirst support that is supported by a guiding member in a first statewhere the needle holder is not rotated, and a guiding recess configuredsuch that support with respect to the guiding member is released fromthe first state in a second state where the needle holder has beenrotated and accordingly the needle holder receives elasticity of thespring.
 4. the chemical fluid injection device of claim 1, furthercomprising an alarm device electrically connected to the sensor andconfigured to generate an alarm when the needle holder is adjacent tothe casing.
 5. The chemical fluid injection device of claim 1, whereinthe controller comprises a processor configured to determine, using thesensor, whether the needle holder is adjacent to the casing, and tocause the injection of the chemical fluid when the needle is penetratedthrough the needle penetration hole.
 6. A chemical fluid injectiondevice, comprising: a casing including a base in which a needlepenetration hole is formed; a needle holder located in the casing andconfigured to be coupled to a needle, the needle holder being configuredto be driven toward the needle penetration hole, and configured to berotatable by rotation of a button that is exposed outside of the casingby a user; a sensor located in the casing and configured to sensewhether the needle holder is adjacent to the needle penetration hole;and a controller electrically connected to the sensor, wherein thesensor is configured to sense whether the needle is penetrated throughthe needle penetration hole after rotation of the button.
 7. Thechemical fluid injection device of claim 6, wherein the needle holder isspaced apart from the base in a first state and is adjacent to theneedle penetration hole in a second state; and wherein the controller isconfigured to control a chemical fluid to be injected through the needleonly when the needle is penetrated through the needle penetration hole.8. The chemical fluid injection device of claim 6, wherein the needleholder comprises: a first support that is supported by a guiding memberin a first state where the needle holder is not rotated, and a guidingrecess adjacent to the first support and configured such that theguiding member passes through the guiding recess from the first state ina second state where the needle holder has been rotated and accordinglysupport with respect to the guiding member is released.
 9. The chemicalfluid injection device of claim 7, further comprising an alarm deviceelectrically connected to the sensor and configured to generate an alarmwhen the needle holder is adjacent to the needle penetration hole in thesecond state.
 10. The chemical fluid injection device of claim 7,wherein the controller comprises: a first processor configured tocontrol injection of the chemical fluid through the needle; and a secondprocessor configured to perform the injection of the chemical fluidusing the first processor when the needle holder is adjacent to theneedle penetration hole in the second state.
 11. The chemical fluidinjection device of claim 7, further comprising a spring configured tosupport the needle holder, wherein the needle holder is configured to bedriven toward the needle penetration hole by elasticity of the springwhen the needle holder is switched from the first state to the secondstate.